SePPCon 2024: Management, Planning, & Reintroduction
SePPCon 2024: Management, Planning, & Reintroduction
The Grassland Connection: Plant and Pollinator Biodiversity Under Tennessee Valley Authority Powerlines on the Cumberland Plateau
Theo Witsell* (1), Adam Dattilo (2), JoVonn Hill (3), Dwayne Estes (1), Ashley Bennett (4), Christine Fortuin (5), Zach Irick (1), and Brittney Georgic (1)
(1) Southeastern Grasslands Institute, Austin Peay State University, (2) Tennessee Valley Authority, (3) Mississippi Entomological Museum, Mississippi State University, (4) Electric Power Research Institute, (5) College of Forest Resources, Mississippi State University
The Cumberland Plateau is a topographically diverse landscape consisting of a flat to gently rolling upland plateau surface dissected by deep gorges and narrow stream valleys. Pre-settlement vegetation included mesic forests in the more dissected areas and a savanna-woodland matrix with smaller embedded sandstone glades and acidic wetlands on flatter expanses of the plateau surface. These open habitats have declined following Euro-American settlement. However, botanists and ecologists have long been aware of a number of non-forested botanical “hot spots” on the plateau, characterized by an abundance of conservative heliophytes, including many rare species. Many of these hot spots are found in fields or open utility and road rights-of-way. We contend 1) that the characteristic floristic associations of these sites represent remnant grassland natural communities similar to those found historically in the more open habitats of the Plateau surface, and 2) that the natural communities in these surrogate grassland habitats support different plant and insect biodiversity than adjacent closed-canopy forests. To test these hypotheses, we conducted field work at fifteen sites on the Plateau surface in Alabama and Tennessee comparing plant and pollinator assemblages within large transmission powerline rights-of-way to those in adjacent forests. Results showed statistically significant differences in both plant and insect communities in open vs. forested plots and significantly higher biodiversity of vascular plants and several insect groups in open plots. Also of significance is the documentation of more than 30 populations of 21 species of state conservation concern within the rights-of-way in or around our study plots.
To What Extent Are Rare Species Using ROW Habitats & What Can We Do for Them?
Sujai Veeramachaneni* (1), Carlee Steppe (2), Hannah Held (3)
(1) Georgia Department of Transportation, (2) Georgia Department of Natural Resources, (3) Arcadis
Video start time: 9:55
The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) currently tracks federal, and state listed plant species populations on GDOT rights-of-way (ROW) and GDOT property. Regular maintenance of roadway rights-of-way (ROW) is key to ensuring safety and primarily done through mowing and clearing of vegetation to provide adequate site distance. GDOT has a legal responsibility to ensure its activities have minimal impact on listed species and their habitat, thereby stressing the need for the development of management recommendations that achieves two goals: safety and habitat protection for plant species that inhabit ROWs. Recommendations for rare species management can sometimes be challenging to implement and/or communicate to GDOT contractors due to the species- or site-specific requirements. To address this challenge, GDOT, with consultant support, coordinated with biologists from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to assist in the development of management categories for 83 federal, and state listed plant species likely to inhabit transportation ROWs. As part of the Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) Initiative, GDOT is currently verifying existing Element Occurrences (EOs) and ESAs within GDOT ROWs that need protection. In collaboration with multiple stakeholders, GDOT will survey and verify EO and ESA Sites along GDOT ROWs across the state throughout 2024 and 2025. Post field verification, GDOT will develop management plans for each site based on the management categories that were developed in conjunction with agency partners. Management plans will eventually be disseminated to contractors and the GDOT Maintenance Workforce for implementation.
Native Habitat and Rare Species Along Kentucky’s Roadsides
Tony Romano*, Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves
Video start time: 22:21
Roadsides are increasingly recognized for their potential conservation value for both pollinators and remnant native plant communities. Remnant grasslands, in particular, can persist in roadside rights-of-way due to frequent mowing operations that maintain an open condition. In Kentucky, these roadside remnants are some of the few areas that contain remnant native grassland communities. These roadside grasslands often support rare plant species and provide important habitat for pollinating insects including monarch butterflies and native bees. If these resources are not identified and incorporated into management plans, they can be vulnerable to harmful management actions and rapidly degrade. In 2020, the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves (OKNP), in partnership with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) began a 5-year habitat survey of the state highway system. Since 2020, our team has surveyed nearly 30,000 miles of roads for pollinator habitat, rare plants, and remnant native plant communities. OKNP utilized flexible rapid assessment methods to identify, evaluate, and map the quality of roadside habitats. Along the way we documented hundreds of rare plant populations and high-quality pollinator habitats. This survey has produced a baseline data set that can inform and improve roadside management in sensitive areas. As a result of these efforts, OKNP has also coordinated with KYTC district managers to prioritize the highest quality sites and designate them as roadside conservation areas with special management requirements. This program is a critical first step in realizing the potential conservation value of rights-of-way along Kentucky state highways, but there are still challenges ahead.
Penstemon dissectus as an observational case study supporting in-situ conservation and landscape-level management as a key driver in rare plant conservation
Brian Romm*, Stephanie Koontz, Wildlife Conservation Section, GA DNR
Video start time: 31:31
The Georgia endemic Cutleaf Beardtongue (Penstemon dissectus) is an associate of Altamaha Grit communities and is tracked by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Penstemon dissectus grows in the transition from exposed rock to the surrounding plant communities. Within these transitions, communities are determined by the plant assemblages of the surrounding macro-community. As such, the management of the surrounding macro-community can have profound impacts on the plant assemblages surrounding Altamaha Grit exposures. Across known occurrences, a range of management states can be observed. When fire-suppressed, Altamaha Grit communities are almost entirely limited to the rock exposure and immediate surrounding area, where edaphic conditions have limited tree growth and maintained open canopy conditions but the rapid transition to shaded conditions severely limits P. dissectus population size. Alternatively, when the surrounding community is appropriately managed pine savannah, P. dissectus and associates occupy substantially more space within the ecotone and have much more robust populations than those lacking landscape-level management. Appropriate management of the macro-community at the landscape level is critical to the management of the embedded micro-community. Many of our rare plants are associated with embedded micro-communities such as depression marshes, bogs and seeps, glades, and rock outcrops. Populations of P. dissectus on comparable landscapes, but in dramatically different management states, suggests that landscape level management to include embedded communities can help rare plant species proliferate in a much more effective way than single-species conservation efforts.
Seeps and Springs Inventory, Level 1 Report
Thomas McCoy-Bruce* (1), Allyson Read (1), Alan Cressler (2)
(1) Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, (2)United States Geological Survey
Video start time: 40:53
Seeps and springs create valuable habitat for a diverse array of wildlife through stable year-round temperatures and consistent freshwater supply. Existing research concerning springs ecosystems in the eastern United States is sparse, and there are few established protocols for documenting and creating inventories of these systems. In the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA), seeps and springs may host species of concern and represent hotspots of biodiversity. The project objective is to create a comprehensive GIS database of seeps and springs habitats existing within the park boundaries and to document the hydrogeology and ecology of these systems. Field work was conducted from June to December of 2023. During that time, 226 distinct seeps and springs sites were documented. Coordinates, images, and site descriptions were documented for each site, and the springs were classified into one of four morphological categories: ravine, floodplain, bluff, and hillslope. Basic water quality measurements including temperature and specific conductivity were collected at 192 sites. Opportunistic flora surveys were conducted at 177 sites, documenting over 270 taxa of plants present across all sites. Historic structures were also present at multiple sites. GIS analysis involved overlaying the seeps and springs site coordinates with existing data layers, including bedrock geologic units, major vegetation cover classifications, and watershed delineation models. We hope that the establishment of these protocols will encourage more interest in the inventory and monitoring of seeps and springs ecosystems in the southeastern United States and bring about a more comprehensive understanding of these habitats and their function.
Legacy effects of invasive species slowing native community restoration in a unique Piedmont forest
Matthew Weand*, Nick Green, Kennesaw State University
Video start time: 49:36
Even after invasive species are removed from plant communities their legacy effects can slow native species recovery, making restored communities more vulnerable to re-invasion. We sought to understand the role of these effects by examining native understory communities and changes in soil chemistry and soil microbial communities after the removal of the invasive plant English ivy (Hedera helix L.) from Fernbank Forest, an urban, Piedmont forest in Atlanta, GA with a history of protection from large-scale disturbances and a native plant community reminiscent of Southern Appalachian cove forests. Following a restoration effort where ivy was removed (largely by hand), native plant cover was monitored from 2018-2022. In 2022, soils were compared between uninvaded, invaded, and restored plots. We found that after four years native species experienced only small gains in cover within restored plots, possibly owing to altered soils and plant-microbe relationships. As compared to uninvaded plots, invaded and restored plots differed in soil pH and nutrients important for native herbaceous species, including calcium and phosphate. And though invaded and restored soils contained the most diverse bacterial and fungal communities, important fungal taxa including Ascomycota, and Basidiomycota, were notably reduced in abundance as compared to uninvaded plots. Our results suggest that legacy effects may last several years and manipulations such as soil amendments may be needed to hasten native plant recovery.
Recovering rare orchids and restoring lost landscapes in the Cumberland Plateau of Kentucky, USA
Tara Littlefield* (1, 2), Dr. Chris Barton (2)
(1) Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves, (2) University of Kentucky
Video start time: 59:16
The federally threatened White Fringeless Orchid (Platanthera integrilabia) is found in the southern Appalachians of the United States, primarily in the Cumberland Plateau of Kentucky and Tennessee. Its habitat includes upland headwater seeps and streamside bogs. Human activities have reduced its populations to 53 across five states. In Kentucky, habitat loss due to development, logging, and fire suppression, along with deer browsing, has critically impacted populations. These wetlands feature precipitation-fed soils with a fragipan layer that facilitates ponding. Canopy cover varies but is typically closed (>90%), with some exceptions (e.g., open areas beneath powerlines). Annual monitoring has shown fewer orchids flower under closed canopies compared to open wetlands. Hydrologic alterations and increased evapotranspiration from shrub thickets further degrade these habitats. Historical pine barren grasslands, once maintained by fire and animal disturbance, emphasize the need for landscape restoration. Kentucky’s recovery efforts include monitoring, canopy and shrub reduction, debris dam installation, and prescribed burning. Over 15 years, these efforts have increased orchid populations and improved biodiversity. In restored wetlands, reducing canopy and installing debris dams increased flowering plants from <5 to >165/75 and fruit production by over 4500%. In powerline sites, woody removal and prescribed fire also boosted flowering and population viability. Burning upland habitats reduced herbivory damage by expanding deer foraging areas. Other rare orchids, such as Platanthera cristata and Calapogon tuberosus in wetlands, and Cleistesiopsis bifaria in pine barrens, have also benefited from these efforts. This research supports current management practices for conserving rare orchids and their habitats, establishing the white fringeless orchid as a flagship species for southeastern wetland and grassland conservation. Further studies are underway to understand the management effects on coexisting plants, pollinators, and mycorrhizal fungi.
Augmenting Plant Conservation Efforts through Habitat Suitability Modeling in Alabama
Alfred Schotz*, Katelyn Lawson, Auburn University Museum of Natural History
Video start time: 01:08:37
Habitat Suitability Modeling (HSM) has become an effective and cost-efficient tool in augmenting conservation efforts for critically imperiled plant species across Alabama and the Southeast. Beginning in 2020, the Auburn University Museum of Natural History has conducted distribution modeling for some of the state’s rarest plant life including the white fringeless orchid (Platanthera integrilabia), Tennessee yellow-eyed grass (Xyris tennesseensis), and sun-facing coneflower (Rudbeckia heliopsidis). We will present the outcome of these studies and highlight the current status of species selected for HSM efforts in Alabama.
Phase II Reintroduction of Sand Flax (Linum arenicola) in South Florida pine rocklands
Jennifer Possley*, Nick Matsumoto, Lydia Cuni, Samantha Walsdorf, Brian Harding, Noah Frade, Jimmy Lange, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
Video start time: 01:18:35
Sand flax (Linum arenicola) is a delicate, perennial federally endangered forb endemic to South Florida pine rocklands. Of the 27 documented occurrences, 16 have been extirpated. More than half of the remaining occurrences have just a handful of individuals. Almost all remaining populations occur on highly impacted lands, thus its historical habitat requirements are poorly understood. Given its rarity, lack of life history information, and under-representation in ex situ conservation collections, sand flax was selected by USFWS and ABG as one of ten species to support through a 1.5-year project to improve recovery outcomes through the SE PCA. Specific objectives for the sand flax project included seed banking, germination trials, development of best practices for horticulture, and augmentations of previous introductions. Through the course of this project, we collected 5165 seeds from 9 collection sites, more than doubling seed stores, and making first-time collections from several parcels. Germination trials showed that seeds are long-lived in storage, even achieving higher germination rates than fresh seed. Growing plants proved difficult, but with the help of local high school students, a UF graduate student, and some experimentation, we developed a propagation protocol that works. Augmentations using both seed and whole plants were conducted in late 2023 and early 2024. By spring of 2024, there were early signs of success, with several outplants surviving and dozens of seeds germinating. We will present the latest results at the conference, along with the best practices developed along the way.